UCLA Extension Offers Music Publicity Course

LOS ANGELES, CA (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — The Journalism, Public Relations and Fund Raising Department of UCLA Extension will offer for the 18th year its comprehensive "Publicity in the Music Industry" class to be taught by veteran music PR executive Cary Baker. Baker will instruct an all-day "introduction" to music publicity on Saturday, January 21, 2006, from 9:30 a.m.- 5 p.m., followed by six consecutive close-up sessions on subsequent Tuesday nights from January 24 until February 28 (7 – 10 p.m.) The course will be held at UCLA’s Math Science Building, Room 5128, in Westwood.

The one-day music publicity seminar on January 21, 2006 will survey the process of a successful publicity campaign. The class features guest speakers from all sectors of the media and the music industry.

The six three-hour Tuesday evening sessions (January 24 – February 28), which complement the one-day seminar, explore in depth many music publicity elements, including writing effective press releases and bios, creating publicity plans, implementing the campaign, the importance of organized follow-up, creating a profile on tour, building and maintaining a buzz, music on TV, the crucial role of the Internet in publicity and how it has expanded the publicist’s role, breaking a news story, planning receptions, producing electronic press kits, assigning photography, how to deal with rejection from the media, and comparisons on working in-house vs. out of one’s own house. The class will hone in on such styles of music as pop, alternative, urban, Latin, electronica and more.

Students will write an artist bio or publicity plan with the opportunity to interview a guest recording artist to be announced shortly.

Baker is president of conqueroo, a music publicity company founded in April 2004. The Los Angeles-based company represents such artists and projects as J.J. Cale, John Cale, Jessi Colter, Rodney Crowell, Hank III, Robert Earl Keen, Tony Joe White, Eleni Mandell, James McMurtry, Stan Ridgway, Billy Joe Shaver, Vernon Reid, Chris Stamey, Tres Chicas, Ponderosa Stomp and more.

Prior to forming conqueroo, Baker served as VP Publicity (department head) at Capitol Records, I.R.S. Records and Discovery Records. He was a music journalist and has produced and annotated several reissue albums. He holds a degree in journalism from Northern Illinois University. Baker has served on the Board of Governors for both the Los Angeles and Chicago Chapters of NARAS. Presently he sits on the Board of Directors for the Americana Music Association. He is a member of Entertainment Publicity Professional Society (EPPS) and the Music Industry Executive Steering Committee for City of Hope. He will be awarded a Keeping The Blues Alive Award in the publicist category by the Blues Foundation in Memphis in January.

For more information on “Publicity in the Music Industry,” please call UCLA Extension at 310-825-0641. Online enrollment and additional course information are available on UCLA Extension’s Web site at http://www.uclaextension.edu. –by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers

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